Darning-last



(No Model.)

0. G. GALE. DARNING LAST.

No. 425,606. Patented Apr. 15. 1890.

Wirn-esses: Inventor:

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UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

CHARLES C. GALE, OF GLENVILLE, ASSIGNOR TO ELIZA J. GALE, OF CLEVELAND, OI-IIO.

DARNlNG-LAST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,606, dated April 15, 1890.

Application filed December 2, 1889. Serial No- 332,336. (No model.)

Toall whom, it'm/ay concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES C. GALE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Glenville, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Darning Lasts or Devices for Holding Material to be Darned; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a darning-last embodying my invention. Fig. 2 represents atransverse sectional View of the device shown in Fig. 1, taken on the line or y of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional view, on the same line as Fig. 2,-of the two parts of the metallic shell shown in Fig. 1, the two parts of the shell being shown without the cushion, or filling and separated to more clearly show their construction. Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view of the pad or cushion adopted in the preferred form of construction shown in Fig. 1.

Heretofore it has been generally considered that a smooth hard surface was an essential quality in a darning-last, in order that the point of the needle used in darning should not catch in the material on which the fabric to be darned was supported. I have found, however, that a surface composed of fibers vertically disposed and free at their outer ends, like the bristles of a brush, is much superior to a smooth surface as a support for the fabric being darned, for the reason that such fibers, while fully supporting the fabric to be darned and resisting its lateral displacement, offer no resistance to the passage of the needle, and as the fabric to be darned is not lifted from its support, as is the case when a smooth surface is employed, there is no stretching of the fabric darned, which is a point of importance in darning fine linen and similar goods. In Letters Patent No. 370,775, bearing date October 4, 1887, and issued to Royal Cowles and myself, I have described a device for darning stockings and other fabrics, which device has acquired in the trade the name of the Darning-WVeaver, and in use requires to be affixed to some sort of support, upon which the fabric to be darned is placed, in order to retain the parts of the darning-weaver in place. In Letters Patent No. 417,718, issued to me December 24, 1889, I have described and claimed a holder or support for use with said darning-weaver, and to which holder the fabric to be darned is designed to be secured by springs or the pins of the weaver, or both.

My present invention is in part an improvement upon the construction of the holder described in said Letters Patent No. 417,718, above referred to.

In the drawings, A represents a surface composed of fibers vertically disposed and free at their outer ends, and as a material for such surface I have found some textile fabric having a pilesuch as heavy plush or velvet-to be best and most easily manipulated. This surface of plush or similar fibrous materialis of course only necessary upon the top of the darning-last, but may, if preferred, cover its entire surface.

Since in the operation of darning the work is held in one hand, it is important that the apparatus should be as light as possible consistent with sufficient strength, and as the result of much experimenting I have found that sheet metal affords the best material from which to form the darning-last, and I prefer to construct the same in'the manner shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in which the fibrous surface A forms nearly the entire upper surface, and is supported and held by a frame D upon a backing E,both of which are formed from sheet metal, while the space between the surface A and the backing E is firmly stuffed with a filling 0 of curled hair, wool, pieces of cloth, or similar material. Both D and E may be struck up from sheet metal, so that one fits upon the other like the cover on an ordinary tin box, and the piece of plush or other material forming the surface A may be secured between the two in any preferred manner;

but I prefer to make the surface A and the filling c in the form of a cushion or pad of suitable size to fit into the backing E, witha rigid plate inserted in the cushion, as shown at f in Fig. 4. Practically it will be found that the piece of metal stamped out of the center in making the frame D will, if inclosed in the cushion, as shown in Fig. 4,be effectual to prevent the cushion from being drawn out of the frame after it is put in place, By plac-a ing the plate f with its convex side npward,as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 4, less stuffing will be required.

When the darning-last is to be used with a spring to retain the fabric to be darned, which I prefer to do in most cases, the frame D and backing E are each formed with a lateral fold or projection h, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3, so that when they are placed together a groove 9 is formed around thelast, into which a spiral or other spring may fit, as described in said Letters Patent No. 417,718.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A darning-last composed of a solid shelllike back, a frame fitting upon said back, a front of fibrous material having a pile and adapted to be secured between said frame and back and held thereby, and a stuffing interposed between said front and back, substantially as described.

2. A darning-last composed of a sheet-metal back and a frame fitting thereon, both said back and frame provided with a ledge or rim h, surrounding the same and adapted to form a furrow .or groovearoundtheulasfi When the parts are put; together, anda'cushmm hav ng its upper surface composed of fibrous material having a pile, said cushion inclosed between the back and the frame, exposing its upper surface through saida-frame and held in place, thereby, substantially as described.

3. A darning-last composed of a sheet-metal back and a frame fitting the same, both the back and frame having the ledge or rim h surrounding the same, and forming a groove around the last when the frame is fitted upon the back,.and a cushion with itsupper surface composed of-"fibrous material having a pile, said-cushionrinclosed between said vback and the frame, exposing its upper surface through the frame,--,an .hawing within it a rigid plate asglarge: as theopenlng, ,m, the

frame, to prevent-thecushiombeingwithdrawn,

throughtheframe, substantiallyns-described;; In testimony whereofrl heretoraffia myslgnature in presenceofitwowitnesses, E

' HARLE$JQ- ALE. :1 Witnessesz,

LOBENPRENflfIfiSa WM. G.=TAYLOR-, 

